New learning in dementia: Transfer and spontaneous use of learning in everyday life functioning. Two case studies

Abstract

The purpose of these two case studies was to explore the effectiveness of learning methods in dementia when applied in real-life settings and the integration of new skills in daily life functioning. The first participant, DD, learned to look at a calendar with the spaced retrieval method to answer his repeated questions about the current date and calls made to family. Progressive cuing was used by his wife to increase spontaneous use of the calendar, but DD had difficulty integrating the calendar into his routine. The second patient, MD, relearned a leisure activity (listening to music on a cassette radio) and how to participate in a social activity (saying the rosary in a group) with a combination of learning methods. Transfer of these skills in similar contexts was difficult for MD. She never integrated the cassette radio into her daily life routine but she went regularly to the rosary activity, which was cued by an alarm clock. In sum, the learning methods used were very effective with these patients but transfer and spontaneous use were difficult. Since these aspects are essential to rehabilitation, they should be further explored in order to increase the effectiveness of cognitive interventions.

Errorless learning of everyday tasks in people with dementia

“…Most studies focused on teaching participants the use of devices such as a mobile phone, answering machine, coffee maker, or microwave 28,31,33,34,36,41. Participants also practiced face-name associations of familiar people, such as family members or members of a social club,27,29,34,35 and orientation skills,28,30,34 such as the use of a calendar and directions (routes).…”

“…Participants also practiced face-name associations of familiar people, such as family members or members of a social club,27,29,34,35 and orientation skills,28,30,34 such as the use of a calendar and directions (routes). Relearning the names of everyday objects was practiced in six studies 32,38–40.…”

“…In the majority of studies, the participants relearned familiar but forgotten tasks or information 28,31–35,37–40. In two studies, novel tasks were learned,28,41 while seven studies provided no information on this aspect 27,29,30,34,36…”

“…In two studies, novel tasks were learned,28,41 while seven studies provided no information on this aspect 27,29,30,34,36…”

Errorless learning and spaced retrieval techniques to relearn instrumental activities of daily living in mild Alzheimer’s disease: A case report study

“…In summary, some authors had already reported the effi cacy of some learning methods in individualized cognitive training programs for AD. However these effi cacy data were based only on a few studies (Adam et al 2000;Lekeu et al 2000;Clare et al 2001;Bier et al 2008). Therefore, the principal goal of the present study was to assess the preliminary effi cacy of an individualized cognitive training program using the EL and SR techniques to relearn forgotten IADLs in mild AD.…”